The House Will Win
by Shazzie
Summary: Teresa Lisbon faces her darkest moments, her darkest place. What happens when she goes to the centre of her nightmares, to the place that tears her up, day by day, night by night? Complete.
1. Chapter 1

**I wish I owned something.**

It was kind of poetic.

When you thought about it.

It was all kind of poetic.

The crime. The murder. The sacrifice.

It was perfect William Blake material.

Now all he had to do was make it happen.

XXX

She had to go back there.

Back _there._

To the place she was born, the place she was raised.

To the place where she had experienced a virtual hell on Earth.

She had to go back to her own living hell.

XXX

Teresa Lisbon sat in her car.

She didn't move.

She didn't change.

She sat there, with her hands on her steering wheel, looking straight on, as if she were ready to pull off.

But she had reached her destination.

She had reached her torture hole.

She had reached her childhood home.

She had reached the home full of love, of joy, of early childhood memories that filled her with joy.

She had reached the home that she had been beaten in, the home that she had almost died in on several occasions, the home that haunted he, day after day, night after night.

The home that she still owned.

The home that she would do anything to get rid of.

The home that no one wanted.

The home with a history.

XXX

All was almost in place. He was ready to end her here. He was ready to take her life in the home that she was not supposed to leave. He was ready to right the wrong.

He was ready to end the thing that should never have been.

He was ready to fix his mistakes.

He was ready to get rid of her.

XXX

She couldn't do it. She couldn't go in there. She couldn't go into the house that she had been tortured in. She couldn't go into the house that was the centre of her nightmares. She couldn't go into the house that was tearing her apart, piece by piece, part by part. She couldn't go into the house that was ripping her apart for scrap metal. She couldn't go into the house that haunted her.

She just couldn't.

But she had do.

If she didn't, he would go to prison. If she didn't, her brother would end up rotting in prison for a crime that he didn't commit.

If she didn't, the house would win.

She had to.

That was all it was. A house. Not a home, although it had been a mighty fine one when it was. Not a memory, at least, not a good one. Not a place that people walk by and think "I would love to live there".

No. They didn't think that as they walked past. Even those who had just moved in knew the horrors of this house. Knew the things that had happened inside of it.

And so that was what it came down to. A house, not a home. A collection of bricks and concrete made into four walls and a roof. A bad memory.

And she had to go in there. She had to go in there for her brother. She had to go in there for all of her brothers.

She had to go in there to make sure the house didn't win.

XXX

Where is she? _She's sitting outside._

Why isn't she coming? _She's afraid. She's oh so afraid._

What do I do? _You wait. You wait like you did with the others. _

The house answered his questions. The collection of meaningless bricks that she hated to much answered Red John's questions.

And he was going to kill her.

He was going to kill the little girl that should have died in that car with her mother a few years off of 30 years ago. He was going to kill the girl that should have died every single time that her father hit her, that he smashed her against the walls of this house. He was going to kill the survivor.

He was going to kill the innocent little girl that she still was, despite all of the things that she had done.

He was going to murder the innocence.

XXX

It took all of her strength.

All of it.

It took all of her strength to tear her eyes away from the road. It took all of her strength to taker her hands off of the steering wheel and open the door. It took all of her strength to take each step. It took all of her strength to ignore the wandering gazes of the people who lived around the centre of her nightmares.

It took all of her being to put the key in the door.

It took all of her past, her present, and her future to turn the key.

It took all of her to open the door.

XXXShe was coming now. He could hear her. He could hear her erratic breathing as she tried to open the door. He could hear her careful calming methods as it cracked open, just a little. He could hear her mustering all of her emotional energy to take that first step through the door.

It was almost time now.

It was almost time to end her.

XXX

She had to be calm. She had to be totally and one hundred percent calm.

She had to be.

If she wasn't, this would go wrong. If she wasn't, she would make it two steps then run out of the door.

If she wasn't, the house would win.

_Screw it._

She took a step.

_One more._

She took another step.

And another.

And another.

She took more of those precious steps until she smelt the aroma of blood. The coppery metal scent of blood that filled her nose.

And even worse, the coppery metal decaying smell of blood that was decades old.

It all hit her in an instant. The memories, the smells, the sights. The memories.

And then it was real.

And then she saw him.

She saw him with his crooked smile.

She saw him with his dark teeth and tanned skin.

She saw him with his black vest and fat pants.

She saw him with that look in his eyes.

That look that meant she was going to get it.

That look that she dreaded, every day of every week, every week of every month, every month of every year for well over 7 years.

Her eyes showed her fear.

Her look gave her away.

Honest face, one of the things he was proud of in her. Her honest face.

Her honest face gave away her fear as she came face to face with a serial killer.

Her honest face gave her away as she came face to face with the serial killer that she had known since the age of infancy.

"Dad?"

**A/N- I have some idea's for this, if you wanted me to add another few chapters, some flash backs maybe? But I'm not totally sure about it, so I won't continue until I get.. Lets say.. Five reviews? So pleassseeee review! **

**I used a few songs to inspire me for this chapter too;**

**The House will Win- OK Go**

**Monsters- Paramore**

**Madness- Muse**

**505- Arctic Monkeys**

**From the Ritz to the Rubble- Arctic Monkeys**

**Wrong- Depeche Mode**

**Low is a Height- Great Northern**

**Revelry- Kings of Leon.**

**Just wanted to give a little credit to those, but even if you don't like my music taste, please review!**


	2. Chapter 2

XXX

"Daddy! Daddy daddy daddy!" The little girl screamed as she ran through to her father. Her hair swung behind her back, her eyes a glistening green as she fell into hysterics, her mother tickling her.

"Awww here comes the tickle monster!" He picked her up and swung her around the air, as he tickled her enough to make her scream in laughter.

"Stop! Stop daddy stop!" He chuckled at his little girl and lowered her to the ground, where she collapsed in a heap.

"Heyy little princess what did you and your mummy do today?" He smiled down at his daughter as he pulled her onto his lap.

"Don't call me princess daddy! I wanna be a pirate! Call me pirate daddy!" She giggled, looking at her mother for approval.

The little girl was tiny. A tiny little star with such a bright future. She had already proved she was tough by accepting the arrival of, not one, but two little brothers, another one on the way.

Yes, she had bright things in her future.

She had bright things in her future, as long as her daddy was by her side.

XXX

When she saw him, she almost screamed.

He was there.

Just like any day of any week of any moth of any year, when she was a child.

He was waiting for her.

Her dad.

Her daddy.

She was his little pirate and he was going to make her walk the plank.

"Dad-Daddy?" She edged backwards.

"No reason to be alarmed Teresa."

He smiled that crooked smile of his, his laughter lines becoming more prominent as he walked forwards, his olive complexion looking even darker than normal in the light.

And then she saw it.

She saw the reflection on it.

She saw the thing that would kill her.

She saw the knife.

"I promise I'll kill you before I dice you up Red John style."

**Okay, stupidly short, I know, but you will understand later. I hope I didn't go overboard with the flashback… Just keep in mind that the more reviews I get, the more motivated I will be to put up a new chapter 'cause I know I'm going to have a busy day tomorrow.. I will really need the motivation! Thankkyooouuu : ) **


	3. Chapter 3

"Van Pelt, you take the three four corner, Rigsby the two three. We need to move fast, without startling Red John. Lets make sure everyone walks way from this safely." Cho ordered.

"What about me?" Jane asked as the team got into place.

"What about you?"

"Give me a gun, Cho."

"No"

"Cho, give me a gun."

"Walk away, or I'll give you a bullet. The boss is in trouble."

He would get into that house.

He would get a gun.

He would save Lisbon.

He would.

XXX

"Where the hell is she?" He practically screamed at his wife.

"I don't know dear, she will be home soon." The woman paced, back and fourth, burning a hole into the carpet.

"You hope."

She stopped, looking at her husband.

"I hope."

And then he heard it. He heard the frantic knocking on the door, the person on the over side clearly knowing they were in some kind of trouble.

Teresa.

She pulled the door open, giving her daughter the death stare. The friends she had been standing with ran down the landing, trying to get as far away from the furious woman as they could as she tapped her foot against the floor, her arms crossed.

"I.. I just havee to… Have to give Mike his drum stic-" Her mother grabbed the drum sticks and used her magical skill of throwing inanimate objects around corners, hitting Mike with the two drum sticks.

"DADDY!" Teresa screamed as she ran past her mother, who was hanging out of the door. All three of her little brothers were in the corner, waiting and watching, each with sly little grins on their faces that said _you're in troouuubbblllleeee._

"Daddydaddydaddydaddydaddydaddydaddydaddydaddydadd ydaddydaddydaddydaddydaddydaddydaddydaddydaddydadd ydaddydaddydaddydaddydaddydaddydaddydaddydaddydadd ydaddydaddydaddydaddy" she screamed as she ran through the small home, her mother at her tail, shouting as if she were playing how many times can you say this word whilst running without taking a breath.

She jumped behind her fathers chair in the living room, where his face had now softened.

"Teresa Lisbon you are in trouble now!" Her mother shouted as she strode through to the living room.

"Whoa! Whoa! Hold up there Eliza. She was twenty minutes late, I'm sure she's learnt her lesson!" Her dad jumped from his chair, protecting his baby girl.

"You're kidding me right? Less then thirty seconds ago you were livid with her, and now-"

"Now she's home." He pleaded with his wife.

"Go to your room Teresa." Her mother did not look at her as she dismissed her daughter.

This meant war.

XXX

They smashed the door down, entering the house quickly and efficiently.

But then they smelt it.

They smelt the coppery fragrence of the old blood. They smelt the horrors of the house. They smelt the things that had taken place here, more then two decades ago. They smelt the smell of a family dying. They smelt the alcohol that had caused the destruction.

They smelt the blood.

They smelt the coppery, cringe worthy scent that came with it.

They smelt the old blood.

They smelt the new blood.

They smelt the smiley face waiting for them on the wall.

**A/N- I know this one is pretty short too, but I've had a really busy day and I'm kinda a little knackered. I'm really sorry if I didn't reply to your review, but I just didn't have the time. Just know that I am extremely grateful, and same terms still apply- the more reviews, the faster the update.**

**Thankyou! **


	4. Chapter 4

"How did you do sweetie?" The woman asked from inside of the car as her daughter climbed in.

"I did fifteen hundred metres in nine minutes fifty eight seconds." She dumped her stuff in the back, smiling at her mother.

"Aw well done honey! That's beaten your record, right?" The girl nodded. "That's great! Now buckle up." She gestured to the seat belt.

"You buckle up." She did up her seat belt, frowning at the fact that her mother pulled away without doing up her own.

It was late, already getting dark, and a Friday night.

A recipe for disaster.

The older woman turn the radio on to hear Seven Nation Army's White Stripes, laughing at her daughters love of the song.

She looked down to change the radio station for a split second, going through the junction box as the lights turned amber.

And then it happened.

Then it stopped.

Her heart stopped.

Her brain stopped.

Her life stopped.

The car came barrelling down the road.

The car came barrelling down the road, hitting their car. Hitting their car with the weight of a ton of water.

Hitting her mother with all the force it could give.

She felt the car moving into the building at the side of the junction. She felt it bending between the doorway that was protecting her now.

She felt the car vibrate with her mother's last screams.

She felt the car vibrate with her mother's last breaths.

XXX

"The Red John signature was there, but there was no body." Cho repeated as the team sat in silence. "What was she even doing in that house?"

"Her brother got into trouble, accused of something he didn't do and the only way he would get off was if she went into the house and got the files to prove it. Her other brothers refuse to go within ten miles of that house, and with good reason." Van Pelt answered.

"I think it's safe to presume that she's still alive. Why take her body?" Rigsby put in his two cent's worth.

"It's not safe to assume anything. He could have taken her body to display it in a better way."

"Or she's alive."

"Or she's alive."

And back to silence.

That was consuming a lot of their time lately.

It was weird, when you thought about it. Despite years of working together, they didn't really know each other. In fact, sitting in silence had taught them a lot aabout each other.

Loosing one of their team had brought them together.

But it hadn't. Not really.

The centre must hold. That's common knowledge.

She and Jane are the centre.

She is the level headed one, he is the wild child in an adults body. They balanced each other out.

But now that was gone.

The centre had been broken in halve, an it couldn't hold the extra weight.

It was falling apart.

The centre was cracking.

The entire foundation was falling apart without her.

"Van Pelt, start digging into her history. If this guy knew about her old house and when and why she would be there, he has to be connected to her in some way." "Start looking into her childhood."

This seems like a very appropriate time to repeat myself: recipe for disaster.

XXX

Her head was spinning in a million and one directions. The fumes of the petrol met her nose, making her gag inwardly.

And then she smelt it.

She smelt that copper like smell that we all hate and dread.

She smelt blood.

She smelt a lot of blood.

Ignoring the pain in her head, she turned and looked at her mother.

She looked at what was left of her mother.

And it almost made her scream.

Her head was hanging lifeless, her chest standing still. Blood was dripping from her face, sticking her hair together. Her bright emerald eyes were no longer their beautiful, natural shade of green, but were a pale grey instead.

She was dead.

Her mother had died.

Her mother was dead and there was nothing she could do about it.

Her mother was lying dead next to her, and all she could do was sit and weep.

Her mother was dead.

**A/N- This is a little longer than the one from the last chapter. I'm not sure how much I will get written tomorrow, busy day, but reviews will help spur me on.**

**Just gunna say thankyou to everyone who's reviewed:**

**MartyMac49**

**Jane Doe51**

**SasiMarie**

**Katie (Guest)**

**HeavenSkye**

**Wave hap (Guest)**

**Maggie (Guest)**

**And all over guests that have reviewed. **

**Again I'm really sorry that I haven't replied to reviews, I had to write this story or reply to the reviews and figured you would all appreciate a quicker update. Thankyouu! **


	5. Chapter 5

"Mum!" The little girl screamed.

"Eliza!" Her father screamed.

"Clear!" The paramedics screamed.

Over and over again.

"Mum!" "Eliza!" "Clear!"

Over and over.

Over and over with no hope of stopping any time soon.

But it did.

It stopped like every circle that is drawn.

It stopped like every song that was ever made.

It stopped like every heart that ever beat.

XXX

They say that circles never end. Clearly they do, or we would all be drawing forever.

Because we've all drawn circles.

In a maths class, or art, sometimes even English or geography.

We've all done it.

We're all living it.

One big cycle.

Once big circle.

And every circle ends.

Eventually.

Every circle meets the line that it started with. Every circle comes to an end. Every person who has ever drawn a circle, going over the lines, again and again just for the thirty seconds delay of whatever task you might be doing, has eventually picked up the pencil, or pen, or paint or whatever utensil they may be using and calls it quits.

They all call it quits.

Eventually.

But not him.

He was determined to make sure her circle of pain never stopped.

He was determined to subject her to endless torture.

He was determined to make her life a misery.

He was determined.

This was a circle that would not end. He would love her, even if only for a short period of time and she would love him back. But then something would happen and he would be a complete and total ass. And then he would terrorise her. Then he would leave. She would torture herself trying to forget it, and just as she did, just as she got on wit her life, he would come back.

He would always come back.

Her past, her horror, her childhood always came back to bite her in the ass.

And this time it bit her hard.

XXX

"She's going!"

"What do you mean she's going! It's already been far too long!"

"For god's sake, pronounce her Mike."

That was all it took.

That was all it took to take the little girl and her father to the next stage of the circle drawing.

That was all it took to take the little girl and her father to hell and back.

That was all it took to kill her.

That was all it took to kill her father.

That was all it took.

XXX

He slapped her.

And again.

And again.

Hitting her face from one side to another.

Hitting her face until she was black and blue.

Hitting her face until she begged for him to stop.

Hitting her face until she could take it no more.

And then he stopped.

He waited.

And he started again.

The circle was in motion, and he was waiting for it to stop.

He was waiting to be able to put down his pencil, or his pen, or his paintbrush or whatever utensil he had been using and call it quits.

But not until all of his loose ends were dealt with.

He slapped her again.

Not until all four of his loose ends were dealt with.

He slapped her once more.

Not until all four of his children were dead.

XXX

"Eliza Lisbon, died at 17:47.39, 19/09/1984, aged 36."

XXX

**A/N- I'm so sorry for the slow update! I told you guys- lack of reviews slows me down. I think there were only like… three? **

**Anyway, my school does this rollover thing where we all move up into the next year about a month before the summer holidays, so I just started loads of new GCSE courses and I haven't got time to be wasting, so I'm just asking for reviews to spurr me on.**

**So please review! And thank you! **


	6. Chapter 6

**A/N-**

**To everyone who read my last author's note: I know that I worded that wrong, and I'm sorry. I messaged people who commented with accounts, but if the people who reviewed who were guests could please logged in or get an account and PM me so I can explain to you what I was on about. **

**Because I read what I wrote, and, realising it now, it was incredibly rude and demanding, I'm going to upload this chapter with only three reviews, but I really don't have the time to be writing this and doing coursework and stuff, although I won't abandon this story- that was kind of an empty threat after a really bad day mixed in with a heat wave here in London- but it may take me longer to upload than it has in the past. So I'm going to repeat what I said in the first few chapters, the more reviews I get, the faster it will be. **

**One person said they didn't like my writing style, that it was lazy and repetitive- I just wanna say that this is the writing style that has pushed my English Writing level up by four sub levels and, although you may not like it, I'm going to continue writing like that. If you really have a problem with it, and although I hope you won't do this, don't read it. **

**Again, if you did read the last author's note and you want me to explain it to you, just PM me and I will- I did have honest motives, I promise. **

**I'm kinda babbling now, so on with the story.**

XXX

She's dead.

No.

She can't be dead.

She.. She can't be.

She had people who loved her, people who needed her.

She couldn't be dead. She just couldn't.

But she was.

Dead.

And it all hit her daughter like a tonne of bricks. She was without a mother. She was without one of the two people that gave her life. She was without one of the two people that should watch her grow up, watch her get married, watch her start a family.

She was without a mother.

She was without her mother.

She was without her friend.

XXX

"Her dad has connections all over the country," Van Pelt began, " we can't know where he might have taken her."

"Taken her body." Jane looked up, not meeting any of their eyes.

"We don't know that. We can't know that and without any evidence we can presume she is alive."

"And is she's not? What if she's not alive Jane?" Rigsby asked."She has to be."

XXX

His baby girl.

His tiny little baby girl, all grown up now. With a job, with a life, in a unique sort of a way. With friends, or colleges. With bosses, also known as enemies.

Where had he gone wrong?

He had disciplined her. He had kept her in line and he had made sure she was a straight arrow.

All through her life.

_Don't lie. Don't cheat. Don't pretend._

_Don't ever believe that you are worth something._

_Don't ever delude yourself into thinking someone gives a damn._

_You are a worthless piece of crap._

_Do. Not. Forget. It._

All through her life. No end, no stop. These are the words he would shout at her as he smashed her against a wall. These are the words he would whisper in her ear as he ran a knife down her arms. These are the words he would whisper as he ruined her childhood.

These are the words he would whisper that made her the woman she is today.

So where had he gone wrong?

He had to correct her. He had to edit his mistakes.

He had to delete them.

XXX

**So, please review! Thankyooouuu**


	7. Chapter 7

**A/N- There is a very good chance that this chapter should be rated M, but I'm going to leave the rating for now, unless reviews tell me to change it. Be aware, this may be a little morbid.**

Some people, when they talked of their fathers, talked of how their fathers had been perfect. They talked of how their fathers would laugh at their jokes. How their fathers would purse their lips when they walked down the stairs in short skirts. How their fathers would kiss them goodbye at the door.

But that wasn't the case for her.

When she talked of her father, she talked of the horrors. She talked of how he still kept her up every night, even twenty odd years later. She talked of how he had ruined her childhood.

She talked of how he had ruined her life.

Or she didn't talk at all.

The same people that would talk about how perfect their fathers were would call her a wimp. They would tell her to face her fears. They would tell her to face her past.

But they didn't understand.

And that is possibly the most clichéd line in existence. Of course, no one else understands the pain you're going through. No one else has a bad life. Of course they do. Someone always has it worse than you.

She knew that when she was young. That was what kept her going when she was young.

But she had it worse than they did.

They would go home to love and kisses. She would go home to beatings. They would go home to people listening about their mundane days, the same story being told in and out. She would go home to shielding her brothers to protect them from the cruelty of the world. They would go home to hot meals on the table each day. She would go home to a living hell. They would go home to their families.

They would go home to their loving, caring fathers.

She would go home to _him._

XXX

The door was locked.

That was a good sign.

That might mean that he wasn't in.

That might mean that she was going to be safe, safe for the few hours she had until she picked up her brothers from school.

But of course she wasn't.

She never was.

Is anyone ever safe when they come home to this every day?

"Teressaaaa.." He slurred as he practically fell down the stairs. "Teressaaa darling.."

"Dad?" She was backing away from him.

This was bad. That feeling in her stomach, it was bad. Her head was screaming at her, get away, get away, get away. Turn. And. Run.

But she couldn't.

She was frozen.

She kind of knew what was coming. That was what shocked her so much. That was what kept her frozen in place as he advanced on her, pressing her against the wall.

"You look so much like your mother Teresa." He placed a hand on her breast. "Teresa, you are.. You are so beautiful.."

"Dad.. Dad stop.. This isn't right.." She was struggling now.

"It is right Teresa, it is right and you know it is." He pushed against her harder, his erection pressing into her.

"Dad!" She was slipping away..

"No!" He grabbed her as she ran up the stairs, pinning her to the carpeted surface.

This was it. This was where she was going to loose her virginity. There was no way she could get away. There was no way she could escape.

She was going to loose her virginity at the age of 14 to her father.

She was going to be a victim of rape.

She was going to be a victim.

XXX

**Another A/N- So it was a little deep for me, but I'm gunna stick with it anyway. Please review on how I did- I've never written a chapter like this before. Thankyou! **


	8. Chapter 8

This was what her life had come down to.

No.

This is what her life had built up to.

This was it.

This darkness. This feeling of loneliness. This feeling of abandonment. This feeling of betrayal.

This nightmare that had come true.

This. Was. It.

This was her life.

This was her.

This was her father.

XXXShe looked so content, yet so depressed at the same time. She had the knowledge of the world, but it only pulled her back further. She knew the answers, but it only killed her a little more inside.

"You're Red John." Her voice was week, but it was still so strong.

"Yes. Yes I am." He was steady, rotating the knife he held in his hand, admiring the blade, admiring the way the light bounced off of it.

"You killed Jane's family." She was so small and yet she was so big.

"Yes. Yes I did."

"You didn't kill yourself. You tortured us, only to go on to torture Jane for the fun of it." She pulled herself up, obviously in mass pain because of the beating she had received earlier that day. She could barely put her left foot on the floor, and her breathing was like driving down a pot hole filled country lane in England in the dark at 70MPH- it was falling apart.

"No, I didn't kill myself. I tried. But I survived."

The silence in her face, the pure hatred displayed by her eyes said it all.

"I'm afraid though, my darling daughter, the same cannot be said for you."

Two men walked in, both bigger in weight, height and muscular size than Rigsby and grabbed an arm each, pulling her up to a full standing position. They laughed as she stuggled against them, failing miserably.

"Now now, Teresa darling." He nodded at one of the men. He punched her in the stomach.

Hard.

"Stay still dear."

" Why? So that you can torture me some more?" She chuckled, mocking him.

And then she spat at him. Directly at him.

Which gained her a hit to the stomach with a base ball bat.

Hard.

Coughing up blood, she smiled at him. Her teeth were red, blood poring down her face as she coughed it up.

"Not man enough to do it for yourself? Have to get the guys to hit me? You never had a problem with it when I was a kid-" Another one to the stomach.

Harder.

And another.

Even harder.

The torture was getting worse, the pain reaching a point where it was damn near unbearable.

But she carried on.

"Come on _Daddy_. Use that knife against me"

"Kill me" she continued.

Kill me. Kill me. Kill me. The last words she would speak. The last time she would smile. The last tims she would bleed at his hands.

He steadied his hand and moved towards her.

This was going to be fun.

XXXThe pain.

It was indescribable.

The agony.

It was torturous.

The wil lto die.

It was unbelievable.

The blade, sinking into her lower stomach.

Ripping her apart.

Tearing her to shreads.

And then he pulled it out. Blood pooling around her abdomen, she was dying.

But then she felt it again.

The knife entered her again.

The knife severed her right kidney.

The knife was tearing her apart.

The knife was killing her.

Her father.

Her father was killing her. XXX

**I'm so sorry for the slow update, but I should have the last chapter of this up soon. Please review! ****J**


	9. Chapter 9

Her screams were barely audible through the thick walls of the old building. His laughter was louder than her pain. His pleasure was killing her.

He was killing her.

The team were ready. They were going to save her.

They had to save her.

They had to.

XXX

She felt the darkness coming over her. She felt the pain starting to fade away. She felt the emotions of her entire life, the life that she had barely lived, coming together in one big bang of last moment regrets.

Because she had so many.

She regretted not getting help during her father's alcoholic period. She regretted not getting private help afterwards, to pull herself out of the downward spiral that she was at the bottom of now. She regretted not hiving kids, not settling down. She regretted not telling the team how much she loved them all, how much of an honour it was to work with them. She regretted not telling her brothers how much they meant to her. She regretted Jane.

She regretted not telling him the truth.

She regretted not telling him how madly in love with him she was.

She regretted it. All of it.

But none of that mattered now, she was dying. As the life line on her palm slowly came to a halt, she began to fade away.

She began to fall apart.

She began to die.

And then she saw her mother.

XXX

_Beep. Beep. Beep. Beep._

The sounds are killing me.

_Beep. Beep. Beep. Beep._

Why can't I move?

_Beep. Beep. Beep. Beep._

Who was that holding my hand?

_Beep. Beep. Beep. Beep._

"Wake up, Teresa"

_Beep. Beep. Beep. Beep._

I will, I will wake up.

_Beep. Beep. Beep. Beep._

Why can't I wake up?

_Beep. Beep. Beep. Beep. _

Why can't I move!

_Beep. Beep. Beep. Beep._

Move! Move damnit!

_Beep. Beep. Beep. Beep._

Please… Please let me wake up…

_Beep. Beep. Beep. Beep._

Please…

XXX

She was like a sleeping angel, laying in a abyss of endless peacefulness. She was peaceful. She was practically dead.

She was good as.

The brain damage was severe. They hadn't gotten to her in time. Her father, he had killed himself this time. Slit his own throat.

But she was dead to.

She was dying.

She was good as dead.

"How's she doing?" Van Pelt asked as she walked in slowly, Rigsby and Cho behind her.

He didn't say anything.

He couldn't say anything.

Because she was dying. She was dying in that coma. She was bound to live the rest of her life in eternal misery at the torture that she was laying in.

She was better off dead.

But so was he.

Because he couldn't live without her. He couldn't go on without his rock, his anchor.

His gravity.

He had loved Angela, loved her with all of his heart, but Lisbon.. Lisbon was his true love.

His true love that would never get to be.

His true love that was dying next to him.

His true love that would never know.

The team sat next to him, in silence. And that was the way that they would stay.

Because she was all of their anchors. She was the thing that brought them all together, the person who created a family, not through blood but through bonds of water that had formed tighter than any family

could ever have hoped to be.

They would stay there, in silence, until she was back with them.

Until their rock was solid again.

Until they could rely on her again.

They would wait for Lisbon, like she had waited for them.

THE END

**A/N- I know, really short ending (I'm sorry!) and it's taken me forever to update, but I really just didn't know how I wanted to finish this one off.. So please review and tell me what you think of my story overall! I hope the ending didn't disappoint you.**


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